Saturday, February 27

Cristiano Ronaldo slams team mates over Atletico's defeat

Cristiano Ronaldo has reacted to Real Madrid's defeat to local rivals Atletico by asserting Los Blancos would 'maybe' be top of La Liga - if all his teammates were as good as he is.

The Portuguese gave an extraordinary interview to the waiting press at the Bernabeu following the defeat - which saw Atletico become the first team in La Liga history to win three consecutive fixtures at the stadium.

Antoine Griezmann's second-half strike was enough to give Atletico fans bragging rights in the Spanish capital. It took them to within five points of leaders Barcelona and four points clear of Real. The result means Zinedine Zidane's side are now nine points behind the Catalans who also have a game in hand, arguably ending their title aspirations.

However, Ronaldo suggested that would not be the case if his teammates possessed the talent he has.

"We had more chances than them and deserved to win," he said. "We know that the situation is difficult but we have to continue.
"We will not give in. When you don't have your best players, it is hard to win. If you don't have Karim, Pepe and Bale, it's more complicated.
"I like to play with Karim, Bale, Marcelo. I'm not saying the others aren't good players. For example, Danilo was the best player on the pitch today.